Steam had this in sale during the summer sale and I picked it up. I have to say that I agree with the critics on this one. Itís a fun game, no Oblivion, but still fun.

My Proís:The magic system: This is likely one of the best magic systems I have played. You end up designing your own spells. I made one last night that shoots a firebolt at 4 enemies, is a homing missile so I donít need to aim, does huge damage, then it blinds them all for long enough for me to cast a second spell. You can create lock picking, invis, water walking, a tornado of anvils, jump like a basketball player on a trampoline, or summon a horde of undead. This is just scratches the surface.

The crafting system: You can break down most items and get the crafting materials. These can then be used to upgrade your equipment. Donít need to worry so much about loot drops or cash as you can just keep upgrading you items.

The skill system: There is a good balance of skills in the game. Not too many were you would lose track of everything, but enough that you need to make choices.

A respect trainer: Tired of being the polearm wielding knight? Well just go respect and spend your points to make a fire mage.

Online Co-op: It has an online co-op mode that you can set up as a private server to have some fun with friends. This is a pretty nice feature that I am really going to look at more once I finish the single player game

Length of game: I am 30 hours in and havenít seen over half the map yet or done many side quests. So itís going to be close to 75-100hours of game play. This is a nice change from some of the shorter games I have played lately.

Not real buggy: I think in 30hours I have had 1 crash. I have seen people giving this a bad rep for crashing, but I think maybe itís their computers.

My Conís:Bad free roaming: I think itís about 75% of what Oblivion is.

The voice acting: At one point I was sure I was listening to a voice actor from a bad dubbed anime from the early 80ís. It is horrible.

Weird graphics: This might not affect you guys but it did me. There is an NPC you help in game. They present her in conversations as a mysterious, sexy, adventurous rival. The only thing I found mysterious was if she was modeled after my coworker Fred. Another thing is the mannequin like hands that many NPCs have. Itís like folks are imitating GI Joes kungfu grip.

Rather uninspired plot: It is the simple fantasy plot. Bad guy has family member and you need to save them to be king. For a game with a mature rating I would like a plot with some depth.

Conclusion:
I would recommend this game if you see it on sale. Itís worth at least $20 and I got it for less than that. There is also an expansion that is soon to release so if you like the magic system (biggest draw for me in game) youíll get to nuke some new baddies in near future.